The Loner
by Defstryk
Summary: A lone man's vengence against Umbrella
1. Default Chapter

The Loner  
  
Written by: Defstryk  
  
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Copyright issues: This story is based on my imagination, nothing that happens here is connected to the official story of the Resident Evil series. If anybody wants an original copy to use on his or her site, email me to get one. Thanks(  
  
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Chapter 1:No place in the world  
  
The sun was dipping beneath the ocean. Lazily, the giant glow that filled the whole sky was silently fading beneath the golden waves of the sea. The wind blew, silent and invisible save for the disturbance it caused to my hair. Nevertheless, the foul stench of the undead still hangs in the air…  
  
"Unnnhhhhh…." A low moan came from behind me.  
  
It never ends…I thought to myself, while shaking my head in despair.  
  
After killing so many of them, they still keep coming. Countless lives…lost to the damn T-Virus. The faces of those whom I couldn't save flashed through my mind for an instant…reminding me that the zombies were not monsters, but victims of circumstances. Umbrella's circumstances.  
  
"Unnnhhhhh…" Again, the same moan of hunger…  
  
I spun around, my right hand moving my black coat back. I felt for my revolver in its holster on my right hip, its comforting coolness a shield against the madness that had engulfed the world around me. I grabbed its grip and lifted it up from its resting place. Time for another lost soul to have its eternal rest. I lifted the weapon and took aim at the staggering shape in front of me.  
  
They were all the same-reeking of the stench rotting flesh, body parts hanging off or missing entirely, eyes white with cataracts...and the omnipresent hunger…I had killed so many of them that I nearly forgot that I was killing innocent victims and not monsters.  
  
"Rest now…I'll take care of Umbrella." I muttered to the zombie. This particular one was just a kid, barely past 11 or 10 years old. So young…  
  
Ever closer the creature moved, its smell getting ever stronger. I pointed my revolver right at its head and pulled the trigger. On the silent beach, the gunshot was unbearably loud. The shot was soon joined by a dull thud of the body hitting the sand.  
  
1 Another one Umbrella has to answer for…  
  
I put in a new bullet to replace the one spent. With a metallic 'click', the projectile slid into place in my weapon's chamber. I checked the chamber to make sure all six places were filled with bullets. It wouldn't do to be caught needing to reload in the midst of a zombie attack. Satisfied, I took one last look at the beautiful sunset.  
  
I tried to imprint the image in my mind. God knows, maybe this will be the last one I'll ever see. After all, I AM embarking on a suicide mission- a lone man against a huge multi-billion dollar corporation. That is, IF I survive this holocaust first.  
  
The wind had died down now and the coolness of the night was starting to take hold. I needed to a find shelter for the night- if I stay on the streets, I'll be inviting trouble.  
  
I scanned the beach in the waning light, looking for any visible threat. I spotted a group of zombies about 400 meters to my left and another closer group about 200 meters to my right. I decided to take my chance by going left as I came from the right earlier.  
  
I broke into a brisk jog, staying clear of the coconut trees that lined the ocean pathway. I stayed in the open as much as possible. It may seem risky but it was better than skulking in the shadows and maybe be ambushed by zombies. At least in the open, I'll be able to see them before they can pose a threat to me.  
  
The beach was deathly silent save for breathing and the sound that my boots made as the crunched the sand. It seemed as if the whole world around me was dead-no birds, no animals and worst of all…devoid of any life. I paced myself, knowing that to overexert myself would make me tired and careless later on. I hadn't eaten or drunk anything for days now. I fear that the drinking water may be contaminated by the T-virus and that exposed food was too. Carelessness would cause me my life in this hell…  
  
I had to make a decision as I came upon the pack of zombies I had seen earlier-to kill them now or detour around them, thus saving my ammo. I decided on the latter. Even though I knew it was the better choice of the two, I felt sad knowing that I couldn't end their torture. I suspect that death will be a godsend to the souls of the zombies. I knew that I would sooner kill myself then turn into one of those.  
  
2 Forgive me…  
  
I ran around the group of the undead and headed straight. I could see the silhouettes of buildings up ahead in the rapidly darkening sky. I glanced down at my watch, wanting to know the time…7.01pm.  
  
3 Has it been so long?  
  
I pressed on, rushing towards the buildings in the distance. I knew that there will probably be more zombies in the city but I was better off facing zombies than Cerberus-Umbrella's code name for the dogs that they had infected with the virus. Fast and deadly, the dogs could kill a man with one bite…I know, I saw it happen before…  
  
I finally came upon the pavement that heralded the fact that I was at the edge of town. It was brighter here too, mainly for the fact that this area of town still had power and that the streetlights were still functioning. The houses around me were dim but I could hear the hungry moans of the undead emanating from them. Nevertheless, I had to find shelter soon…  
  
I decided to scout around the neighborhood and get the lay of the land. It would help knowing where I was going in case I needed to make a quick getaway. As I walked on, I passed more detached houses. And with each house I passed, I heard the same sounds-the endless moaning of the damned. Never once did I hear laughter or somebody talking, only moaning.  
  
I had reached the end of the street when a hunter suddenly ambushed me. It smashed through a second floor window to engage me. I was caught by surprise and could only look as the creature landed in front of me. The glass from the broken window rained down upon me. I stood there for a tiny fraction of a second looking at it before instinct got me moving. And not a moment sooner. Without any warning at all, the monster lunged and aimed a slash at my midsection- had I not move when I did I would be cut in two by now.  
  
Shit…Too careless.  
  
I dodged the monster's quick slash and did a shoulder roll backwards, giving me more room to react. The world spun around as I went into the roll. Despite that I tried to keep a close watch on the Hunter. As I ended my roll, I tucked my right hand back to expose my gun. The beast seemed to know that it was a weapon and actually took a step back.  
  
That was all I needed. In one smooth motion, I reached back, pulled the weapon out and jumped sideways towards a nearby brick wall. I loosened my legs as I neared the wall, waiting for the first sign that my boots had touched it. It came barely a millisecond later.  
  
I pushed off the wall, using my built up momentum as a springboard. Doing a cartwheel in midair, I took carefully aim. The monster seemed unable to comprehend a human able to do such feats and stood there staring. Hunting civilians had dulled its killer instinct, thus giving me the edge.  
  
I quickly took aim during my midair roll and let loose three bullets from my gun. All of them found their marks with explosive results. I barely felt the recoil-so used was I to the feel and intricacies of my personal weapon. The first one I directed towards its abdomen, the second towards its heart and the final one towards the brain. The one headed for the abdomen got there first and tore a fist-sized hole in its gut. Blood from the cause of the wound sprayed across the dark walls behind it. The second one lodged itself into a nearby parked car after it completely went through the creature's body, decimating its heart and other internal organs that got in its way. The third blew the monster's head clear off. The creature was dead even before its body hit the ground.  
  
3 shots left…Hope that's all for now.  
  
I landed in a crouch and scanned for more incoming threats. If there were more, I'd have to make a break for it. It took 3 bullets to down ONE hunter. That meant I was totally screwed if they came in numbers. Good as I was, I was not going to survive a numbers battle against them.  
  
Nothing else came to engage me as I waited. The night had returned to its passive state once again. Without tearing my eyes from my surrounding, I reached in my pocket and withdrew 3 bullets. Still with my eyes scanning, I popped open the revolver's chamber and inserted them. When it was all done, I closed the chamber but I left the gun cocked and in my hand, in case of any more surprises…  
  
I picked myself up and approached the dead body of the hunter, looking down at my failed killer.  
  
4 Another of Umbrella's soldiers down. How many more do I still have to face before my mission ends?  
  
I took one last look at the being before I headed off in the original direction in search of shelter. That particular encounter had driven the point home even further about the dangers of travelling in the dark. I didn't need another encounter like that if I could avoid it…  
  
And now it seems as if my luck was getting from bad to worse…The silence of the night was being shattered intermittently by shrieks of other hunters. And as far as I could tell, they were getting louder, which could only mean that they were converging on my location…  
  
5 Seems that battle of mine attracted attention…  
  
I moved, not wanting to meet up with other creatures that Umbrella might have created. My time's going to run out fast if I stay on the streets. I looked around for the smallest building and ran towards it.  
  
The door to the decrepit building was hanging off its hinges. It was a simple matter to sidestep it completely, leaving little visible trace to any creatures of my whereabouts-of course, it did occur to me that if the monsters tracked by scent, I was dead where ever I hid.  
  
The waning sunlight barely penetrated the gloom inside the abandoned building. I had a portable torch but I didn't see any immediate need to use it yet. Besides, using it now would probably lead the other hunters straight to me…  
  
As I surveyed my new surroundings, I noticed that I was in some sort of a clinic. I was standing in what seemed to be its reception area. Posters about medical conditions and preventive measures lined the walls. Rows of chairs set neatly against a far wall, seemingly undisturbed by the hell that had engulfed the outside world. The clinic was evidently clean of zombies too. The dust that had settled on the floor and chairs would have showed some signs of inhabitation if they were here. That and the telltale smell of rotting flesh were noticeably absent.  
  
I gave the reception area another quick scan and then moved on further into the dark recesses of the clinic. There was only one corridor that led away from the reception so the choice of where to go was taken from me…  
  
I walked down the corridor carefully and silently, my weapon raised and my senses straining for any sign of danger. Up ahead of me were three doors, 2 on my left side and 1 on my right. After the doors, the corridor went into a t-junction, leaving me to wonder what lay behind there…  
  
I decided to look into the nearest room, which meant that I went for the first door on the left. Not wanting to just barge in with sheer force, I tried the metal handle. I gripped the cool metal with a sweaty left hand and twisted it gingerly. It was unlocked…  
  
I took a deep breath and opened the door all the way, weapon ready to shoot anything that moved. The wooden door opened with nary a squeak into…a sterilized examination room.  
  
What a letdown…But I'll gladly take more letdowns like this then fight.  
  
I backed away from the room, adrenaline still pumping rapidly through my body. Next, I proceeded towards the second door of the three-the one on the right this time.  
  
The new door was like the first- nondescript, made of wood and had a metal knob. Like the first, this one too was unlocked. And like the first, I opened the door slowly and with my weapon at the ready. Also, like the first, this room too would be free of any danger- it was a storeroom for medicinal supplies.  
  
This might prove useful…but not now.  
  
I left the door ajar and went to the final door. As I neared it I caught a whiff of a familiar scent- that of rotting flesh. My hold on my revolver tightened instinctively.  
  
6 Zombie…  
  
I could feel the bloodlust rise inside me, the need for wanton death and destruction. As always, I suppressed it but I knew that one of these times, I was going to lose control and go berserk…  
  
7 Umbrella will PAY in blood for what they did here and to me…  
  
An all too familiar moan escaped faintly from the closed door. All my doubts were completely erased on whether a zombie was in there. From the singular moan, I deduced that there was only one of them inside. I made my way cautiously towards the door, ready for anything.  
  
As I moved ever closer, a million possibilities on how I could tackle the situation flashed through my mind. I rejected them most of them, narrowing down a few with possibilities. Those in turn were eliminated until only one remained. All this happened in the time it took for me to step towards the door- 2 seconds.  
  
I decided that the simplest way was the best. I tried the doorknob. Unlike the previous ones, this one was locked and refused to turn. I had decided to abandon killing the creature and was turning to explore further when the door exploded outwards. Splinters flew everywhere and I left a few imbedding themselves into my exposed skin. Tiny pinpricks of pain exploded all over my body.  
  
Combat instinct kicked in immediately and I jumped back, leaving more room between the door and me. Barely a second later, the zombie stumbled into view. It slowly looked around (how they could see still puzzles me since their eyes were white with cataracts). Nevertheless, they had the uncanny ability to find live meat. This one was no different.  
  
It swerved around slowly. Even at the slow speed it was moving, it was unmistakable that it was heading towards me. I didn't want to use my gun since it was only a lone zombie and the hunters were probably still outside. The noise and the muzzle flash would surely give away my position.  
  
I holstered my gun into its holster on my right hip. I made sure it was secure there before reaching for my alternative weapon on my left hip- my katana. I extracted the sword from its sheath and held it in the en garde position.  
  
I seized up my target and planned my movements. The zombie moved closer as I stood there, staring at it and motionless as a rock.  
  
8 Wait for it…Wait for it…NOW!  
  
I ran, paralleling the walls. When I was about 3 meters from the zombie I jumped and used my momentum to run against the right wall. My body nearly horizontal now, I raised my sword so that its blade was parallel to the floor.  
  
2 meters…  
  
I pushed harder against the wall, maintaining the speed and grip necessary to continued my maneuver.  
  
1 meter…DO OR DIE!!!  
  
The zombie raised its arms as I got within range. That was all I let it do…  
  
I slashed horizontally, putting all the momentum I had garnered into the power of my slice. The blade went cleanly through the creature's neck. The cut was so clean, fast and precise that no blood sprayed out. With a strangled "unnnnrrr", the zombie's lobbed head fell from its rotting pedestal and unto the dusty floor. There, it rolled for a bit before coming to a complete stop opposite a trash can.  
  
As I passed the falling body, I pushed off the wall and turned in midair. While still turning, I pushed my fluttering coat back and inserted my sword back into its place on my left hip. I completed the move just as I was landing. I let my legs absorb the impact as I touched the floor, facing the dead creature.  
  
Rest now…You've earned it  
  
I looked at the headless zombie one last time before turning around to explore the room where the zombie had emerged.  
  
I got a closer look at the door as I neared it. Despite my hatred of Umbrella, I couldn't help but admire the sheer strength the virus imbued into its host. The wooden door was mostly destroyed and what hadn't been shattered lay in pieces on the floor. The zombie must have incredible power to just break a door in matter of seconds like that. You have to give props where its due and like it or not, the T-virus was pretty effective in what it did.  
  
I peered into the now empty room to check out what was in it.  
  
This room was totally unlike the others. Whereas the other two were void of blood or bodies, this one had no lack of either. Bodies were piled onto each other against the walls of the small room, resembling columns of junked cars at a junkyard. Blood from those bodies ran onto the floor and left the white tiles awash in a sea of red. The smell was overpowering inside too. The piles of bodies must have been here for a long while because some of them have already decomposed so badly that the skulls were visible. The zombie must have kept himself satiated by feasting on his dead brethren as numerous bodies that had fallen on the floor had chunks of flesh missing and what appeared to be teeth marks in some areas…  
  
I decided that the room had nothing to offer save promise that death had been there to claim its victims. I stepped back into the dim corridor to continue my passage towards the t-junction.  
  
I had just taken a few steps towards the junction when the ceiling of the small clinic came down right in front of me.  
  
Instinct yet again made me jump back. I watched as the debris rained down in front of me. Suddenly a new sound joined the loud chorus made by the falling items-THUMP! It sounded like a huge slab of meat being hurled dropped on the floor from high height.  
  
The sound was immediately followed by an inhuman shriek, which I instantly recognized and feared.  
  
9 HUNTERS! They found me after all…SHIT!  
  
Even after all the care I had taken, they still managed to track me down all the same.  
  
I simultaneously withdrew both my weapons-holding my gun in my right hand and my katana in my left.  
  
10 Come…Your story ends here, monster!  
  
I prepared myself for battle, letting my muscles tense up so that they were ready to react at a moment's notice. I had planned to wait until the dust from the debris had cleared so that I had a clear shot at the hunter. The beast had other plans instead.  
  
Without even waiting to recover itself, it jumped directly towards me. Even with my enhanced reflexes, I barely dodged the move. This hunter was definitely quicker and more vicious than the last.  
  
As the beast came flying towards me, I threw myself on the floor-with my face facing the ceiling. From that point of view, I could see the hunter's belly as it flew over me, only inches away. The slimy green skin seemed to pulsate as I looked at it in detail.  
  
Barely a millisecond after the hunter flew over, I was back on my feet and ready to fight…again. But this time there was a difference, I was prepared.  
  
I saw the hunter swivel at the end of the corridor, trying to realign itself so that it could have a clear shot at me. I waited patiently for it to make its move, weapons drawn and ready.  
  
It moved less than a second later.  
  
This time, instead of dodging the lunge, I went towards it, closing the distance in the dim corridor as fast as I could. Then at the last possible moment, I dove and twisted my body so I was facing the ceiling yet again. This time though, I had my katana ready.  
  
As soon as I felt the hunter flying over, I thrust my blade upwards as hard as I could. My timing was perfect, the blade caught the beast right in its torso. But that was not all it did.  
  
It seems that I had underestimated my own strength…  
  
To be continued. 


	2. FIGHT!FIGHT!FIGHT!

Chapter 2  
  
FIGHT!FIGHT!FIGHT!  
  
I had planned everything to perfection. I got up facing the door just as the two hunters came running out. They had barely cleared the threshold of the door when I let loose a salvo of bullets from my gun.  
  
BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! BLAM!  
  
I let loose every single bullet I had, aiming three of them at each hunter.  
  
Blood sprayed almost simultaneously from my two targets. Both of them, headless yet seemingly unaware they were dead took a step towards me. But that was all they did…  
  
With a dull thud, the headless bodies collapsed in front of me, blood quickly pooling around them.  
  
I quickly but calmly withdrew a speed loader from my pocket and proceeded to reload my gun when another entity engaged me from the shadows of an alley behind me.  
  
The being attacked without warning, neither sound nor sight to herald its arrival. One moment the alley behind me was devoid of any life, the next the creature was lunging at me.  
  
I managed to dodge the attack yet again but in my hastiness, I dropped the speed loader. I could just watch as the small items rolled away from me and straight into an open sewer. I could hear a soft PLOP! as it landed below.  
  
SHIT! That was my last loader.  
  
I didn't bother to holster my revolver, instead I just tossed it towards the body of the dead hunters. Without bullets that gun wouldn't do me any good. Before the gun had time to even settle itself in its temporary home, I already had my katana in my hand.  
  
Where are you…? WHAT are you…?  
  
I scanned the darkness that permeated the alleys around me. I thought I glimpsed a movement in one but it disappeared before I could get a lock on it.  
  
I waited, senses straining to anticipate the next attack…  
  
Suddenly, from a alley opposite me, an object detached itself from a wall and came towards me. With blinding speed, it crossed the distance between us. As it came into the light, I finally saw what it was.  
  
It was human, or had been human once. But unlike a human, this creature had no eyes nor a nose. Hell, it didn't even have skin covering its body. Its whole body was just one big mass of raw, bloody and exposed flesh. On its head sat an overly large cranium- sloping down from its head, covering the places where eyes should have been. The nose was completely missing and there was not even a sign to show that it had even been there in the first place. Further downwards, its mouth was just a mass of teeth. Rows upon rows of sharp teeth, teeth meant for savage hunters of the savanna. Teeth that can could tear through skin, muscle and bone in one clean bite. The rest of its body was just muscle and exposed sinew, gleaming in the light shed by the streetlights. There was yet another deviation from the human anatomy though. The digits on its hands and feet were completely gone, replaced by bloodied claws-5 on each hand and 4 on its foot.  
  
I knew what it was but I had never seen it before, only heard second hand tales of its exploits.  
  
A LICKER! It seems Umbrella didn't pull any punches here…  
  
This time, the licker made a noise as it lunged towards me- a gurgling shriek. I sidestepped the move easily but before I had time to counterattack, the licker was out of my attack range.  
  
Crawling on all fours, the creature circled around me carefully, waiting for an opportunity to present itself.  
  
I didn't want it to give it that chance so I took the initiative and lunged at it. The licker was better than I thought, it deftly deflected my blow and aimed a slice at my midsection as its counter. I managed to avoid it but its amazing ability to read my moves and apply the perfect counter left me stunned…  
  
I let the momentum from my dodge to carry me sideways, hoping to execute a diagonal slash downwards that would slice the prone body of the licker in two. But as I executed the move, the creature rolled sideways and flipped itself into an upright position.  
  
I realized in horror that I had committed myself too much into my slice and could only watch in horror as the creature braced itself to lunge. Millions of evasive maneuvers flooded into my mind, but as I saw I licker tense itself to attack, I knew that it was all over for me. It was it, the killing blow.  
  
With an ear-deafening shriek, the monster leaped, claws poised to slash me where I stood.  
  
I'm DEAD! There's no way to counter this. Forgive me everybody…  
  
To be continued…. 


End file.
